#85: Marinated Feta Cheese at Evangeline's Bistro and Music House

Marinated Feta Cheese at Evangeline's Bistro and Music House | Don Bailey

The bar at Evangeline's Bistro and Music House(512 North Euclid Avenue; 314-367-3644) is the kind of place that makes you feel like you're on vacation. It could be the Dixieland music -- or maybe it's the hurricanes. A drink like this, at once strong and sip-able, requires some serious bar snacks to mitigate its potential for damage. Fortunately, Evangeline's has the perfect antidote -- its marinated feta cheese.
See Also: Evangeline's cooks up sinful Cajun cuisine with soul

Typically, I think of the classically Greek cheese as a Mediterranean treat, usually served with olives, so I was a bit surprised to see it on the menu of a Cajun restaurant. I shouldn't have been such a skeptic because the cheese pairs naturally with this flavor profile. Chef and owner Don Bailey gives the feta a "Big Easy" kick, tossing it with lemon, garlic, vinegary hot sauce and Cajun seasonings. It is generously heaped on crusty grilled French bread then flashed in the oven to soften the cheese to a creamy texture. It hits all of the marks one looks for in bar food: rich, salty and a little bit salty. Let the good times roll.